Ship details

The Swift Sure is a Mule class light transport ship manufactured by Rikter Dynamics. It was first aquired by your paternal grand father, some 50 years ago. Over the years your grand father and then father have modified it to improve its speed, maneuverability, and stealth capabilities.

In addition, two rapid firing pulse laser batteries have been installed as well as three 19 round rocket pods. However these systems are not part of the original design and in order to use them power must be taken from other systems, usually the jump engine.

The ship has a foward command and habitat section and a rear engineering section. A 100 meter long walk way conects the command and engineering sections. A detachable cargo module is carried on the underside of the walkway between thecommand and engineering sections. In event of pirate attack the cargo module can be jetisoned in transit allowing the ship to escape while the pirates make off with the cargo.

This modular design is what makes the Mule so popular. The Mule drops off a cargo module and then picks up another, minimising down time for the ship. Also as the cargo modules can be loaded and unloaded without the presence of the transport ship the people responsable for the cargo at originating and terminating ends have extra time to load/unload the modules.

Another interesting note about the design is that once the module is secured to the Mule the only way to access it is by crawling thru a small and tight service crawlway that runs under the walkway. This service crawlway is packed with power and comms cables connecting the two sections. About half way along is an access hatch leading down into another access hatch on the top of the module. Few are willing to make this journey simply to get into the cargo module.

The lack of ready access to the cargo module is the reason why many illegal goods are carried by Mule's. As most Mule's are privately owned and operated they rarely have any connection to those who load the cargo modules. Also if stopped by Imperial forces the operator of the ship can always plead ignorance. This makes prosecuting the operators of Mule's difficult.