Imperial Courier: Difference between revisions

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The '''Imperial Courier''' is a [[Ships|ship]] manufactured by [[Gutamaya]] for the [[Empire]]. Described as the quintessential Imperial ship that epitomizes elegance of form while packing a good punch, the Imperial Courier is one of the smallest ships available, barely larger than the [[Sidewinder MkI]] and with a lighter mass than all ships except the Sidewinder and [[Hauler]]. Although able to be adapted to several roles, the ship's agility and three medium hardpoints make it especially well-suited for combat. Officially, the Imperial Courier is used to provide transport for Imperial officials who do not warrant the privilege of an [[Imperial Cutter]] or a [[Majestic-Class Interdictor]]. However, its flexibility means that it fills many roles for the [[Imperial Navy]] and prominent citizens of the Empire.

The Imperial Courier is well armed and very well [[shield]]ed for its small size, making it a punchy and evasive fighter in [[combat]]. In terms of agility, it ranks somewhere close to the [[Viper MkIII]]. While it has a good pitch rotation speed, its slightly weaker vertical-lateral thrusters cause the Courier to drift more than the Viper. Even though the Courier has the same top boost speed as Viper, due to its low hull mass relative to modules, it is slightly slower and can't boost as often as the Viper, dropping down from the top speed faster.

The Imperial Courier's shields are much better than the [[Viper MkIII]]'s and [[Cobra MkIII]]'s, being almost on par with those on a [[Vulture]]. Unlike the Vulture, the Imperial Courier does not have such severe power management issues, and is thus better able to equip [[Shield Booster]]s and [[Shield Cell Bank]]s.

While the Imperial Courier can achieve an excellent jump range between 30-50 ly with [[Engineers|Engineering]], it is not suited for long-term exploration. The Courier's diminutive size and light weight works against it in this situation: it can only fit a Class 3 [[Frame Shift Drive]]. Thus, to keep the ship's mass low and achieve that 50 ly jump range requires undersizing the core internals and eschewing utilities along with most modules suggested for exploration, including a [[Planetary Vehicle Hangar]]. While this does not mean the Courier should never be used for exploration, there are better ships to choose from for the role, such as the [[Diamondback Explorer]].

PeekOfTheWeek ImperialCourier.jpg|Sneak peek from Newsletter #67

Imperial courier cockpit 01.jpg|Sneak peek cockpit view from Newsletter #71

Imperial courier cockpit 02.jpg|Sneak peek cockpit view from Newsletter #71

Imperial Courier w11.jpg|Ship model concept art

Bp-imperial-courier.png|Gutamaya Imperial Courier Blueprint

Imperial-Courier-Cockpit.png|Imperial Courier cockpit

[[Category:Multipurpose Ships]]