  For a Size 4 vessel, the Lightning seems exceptionally well armed with its six disruptors, half of them mounted for forward fire. This is no ordinary merchant vessel--though, with its crew of 23, it is also a paltry excuse for a pirate vessel. \The Lightning is a courier, a light, fast ship intended to carry small valuable cargoes, blasting out of its path any opposition it cannot outrun. Though it bears a superficial resemblance to many similar vessels of the Orions, the Lightning is more recent than the Wanderer, having been designed during the tumult of the Four Years War. Designed to pour its heart out in speed, this ship has shields so paltry and a hull so strong that it makes no difference whether shields are up or not. Many Orion captains put their trust in speed and live to tell how both dorsals were holed and still they got away. Equipped with fail-safe navigation systems, permitting accurate guidance even if the main sensors are shot away, and crewed by diehards who get paid only if they live to deliver the goods, Lightnings are exceptionally good at getting where they are supposed to go.
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