ARCHER-51 (Archer Class, Hull Number 50A2FABFDD276F573FF97ACE8B11C5F4)
ALMANAC

Subject: The Bowyers' And Fletchers' Company

Organization Type: Guild
Line Of Trade: Shipping
Former Headquarters: London, Earth 0, Sol System
Current Coordinates: 954BB079-7629-4D62-B441-E62D8299A24D

Formation: 2142 (o.s.)
Nature Of Formation: Merger
Predecessors:
- Bowyer Industries
- The Fletcher Institute

Fleet:
- 77 Archer Class
  - 75 in service
  - Archer-27 destroyed 2547 (o.s.)
  - Archer-42 mothballed
Personnel: over 9,000
Security Classification: Alpha

Narrative:

The Bowyers' And Fletchers' Company (B&FC) is a shipping guild formerly
based in London on Earth 0 in the Sol System. It was formed in 2142
(old style calendar; new style calendar:
9b424f64fcfc50a938c4862a309d82cc68da65b70618b5e4128b70294b1780b3f616490d
e8e2fe80a193eb2a8f17ecab1132cdaeb39af354d43bee9acc79da00) in a merger of
Bowyer Industries, a long-haul shipping company, and The Fletcher
Institute, a shipbuilding consultancy under contract to the Sol System
Space Force. The name Bowyers' And Fletchers' Company was taken as a nod
to the Livery Companies of London, the former system of trade guilds
which at one time featured a Bowyers' Company (the guild of longbow
builders) and a Fletchers' Company (the guild of arrow makers.) In a
further tribute to this system, when corporations were abolished in 2270
(o.s.), B&FC reorganized as a guild (new style.)

Despite Bowyer Industries' heritage as a long-haul trucker, the modern
B&FC engages solely in voyages of less than 500 million nautical miles.
While this restricts their business chiefly to the Sol System, this
allows B&FC to operate a more economical fleet of delivery vehicles.
B&FC prefers a small and nimble class of ship known to the Sol System
Space Force as the "Mosquito Class" and christened the "Archer Class" by
B&FC. The Company's knowledge of this particular class of ship is
extensive, as The Fletcher Institute designed it under contract to SSSF.
When SSSF moved on to larger ships capable of longer distances, B&FC
acquired 77 former Mosquitoes and refurbished them as Archers. Of the
original fleet of 77, only two Archers have ever been removed from
service. Archer-27 was destroyed in a collision in 2547 (o.s.) with
fifteen fatalities. Archer-42 has been mothballed due to persistent
engine issues.

B&FC handles cargo for the merchant class, the industrial class, and the
military. It has an on-time delivery record of 93.3% since records have
been kept, placing it among the top tier of intragalactic shipping
companies. However, the Federation fined B&FC over FDN 23,000,000,000 in
2550 (o.s.) for safety lapses in the wake of the Archer-27 accident.
Following an internal investigation, B&FC committed to oversight by the
government to ensure the safety of its ships and crew. Since the Exodus,
safety has greatly improved.

B&FC's motto is "Recta ad Scopum" (Latin: "Straight to the target") and
its roundel depicts a black bow crossed with two red arrows on a white
background with a black border.

SUBMITTED TO QEC BY COPILOT ROBOT #J3N67. RECTA AD SCOPUM
19cb45f3fdc00b58d61a57482925c8e20bea77c397d7871b91fb1a9d8abeb90247a99a29
9727747c3dc2a56881c928555891bb8f5a3525da8326b4c07de3f7c0
