Modrlar Cargo Barge A

ARMAMENT:
None
*Some Owners May retrofit Point Defense systems and light cannons.

COMPLIMENT:
5-15 Depending on model and variant, typically civilian crewed often with high turn over rates. The Crew compartments are usually bunks and billets, very reminiscent of the cramped quarters on merchant fishing and tramp cargo vessels of the 20th century. All crew share lavatory facilities, and shower facilities. Each crewman is alloted enough space for one foot locker of personnel effects and clothing. A single galley serves the vessel, and often doubles as the recreation room when not serving meals. The vessels rarely maintain launches or Shuttles, and are reliant on Hard Dock or Manual EVA for loading and unloading of personnel, supplies, or cargo. A few Construction and Utility A.P.U.s are maintained for in-flight maintenance purposes and some cargo transfer. Facilities and accommodations are limited on these vessels as the intended deployment was for a few days at a time - however it is become almost commonplace for owners and operators to push these barges and the crews relentlessly for weeks at a time, often with only a 24 to 48 hour turnaround for refueling and resupplying between runs. While there are old spacers that may have been with a ship or a captain for years, these long rotations and close living conditions can often be hard on the uninitiated. As a result, cargo barges often have to replace several crew with each port. Fortunately there is no shortage of potential crew who may not otherwise be able to afford the expense of space travel and are willing to trade labor for passage.


HISTORY:
There is no shortage of demand for small cargo transport vessels to ferry supplies of all shapes and sizes between orbitals, planets, or ships in system. Such small cargo vessels come in a large variety of shapes and c;asses, some specialized for specific uses and cargos.The Hercules Shipyards Modular Transports have managed to steadily gain increasing favor among crews, captains, and cargo lines in the market - so much so that they have spawned numerous knock offs and imitators from rival manufacturers. The Hercules Modular Cargo Barges are durable, inexpensive, and easily retrofitted for multiple uses.
What is comonly referred to as the "A" Variant of the Hercules Modular Transport was initially intended as a mixed cargo service transport for bulk cargo and liquid transport. While it primarily features two hard-docked cargo containers, and four external mounted racks of "no-frills" storage/transport bins (that is to say not pressurized or climate controlled) it also features 2 external mixed-use modules that can either be used for cargo transport or retrofitted for a variety of passenger, crew, laboratory, or workshop modules. Additionally the "A" Variant features a bulk, pressurized, liquids sotrage system with two high pressure storage tanks and eight standard storage cells, often used for fuela or O2 transport. Many enterprising owners and captains of "A" class transports have made additional cutom modifications to allow for the pressurized system to be directly tapped by the freighter so as to use it as an extended duration fuel and O2 supply - allowing them to stay out on longer hauls and run more loads between stopping at a Starport for service and Maintenance. This practice has become quite popular even though it is frowned upon as it adds immense additional physical stress on the vessel, and untold psychological stress to the crew. In such instances of long range modifications it is often common for the mixed use modules to be modified to provide crew amenities that there would not otherwise be space for, such as recreational areas, hydroponics, or cryo sleep. A very rare few of these that have found there way into the ownership of private organizations have also been modified with Langstrom drives and Cryo-chambers for deep range expeditions, adventure tours, etc. This is highly dangerous as these craft were never intended for inter-stellar use of any substantial length, but none the less they have become a ubiquitous site out in the void.