High Hauler

High Hauler was an Imperial transport that was captured by the New Republic in 5 ABY and used to sneak a Rebel strike team onto the planet of Ruusan through Jerec's blockade. 
==Description==
High Hauler normally contained a crew of twenty-five, but a crew as small as twelve could operate the vessel. The ship had a docking bay that could accommodate two smaller transports at once, such as light freighters and shuttles.
==History==
The High Hauler was an Imperial transport that was part of the task force of an Imperial Star Destroyer. The force was involved in the battle in the Milagro system which resulted to the Star Destroyer's surrender and capture by the Rebel forces stationed around Milagro.Dark Forces: Jedi KnightDark Forces: Jedi Knight audio drama
===New Republic service===
The battle coincided with the search for the Valley of the Jedi, where Rebel agent and fledgling Jedi Knight Kyle Katarn was after the Dark Jedi Jerec who invaded the lost planet Ruusan, a location of a powerful Force nexus. Mon Mothma initially didn't condone Katarn's quest, mentioning, among others, Jerec's blockade around the planet; his partner, Jan Ors, backed by Han Solo, suggested to use a captured transport, available after the recent battle. Solo volunteered to pilot it but he was dissuaded by Leia Organa, and Ors recruited prisoner Alfonso Luiz Obota for the task.
High Hauler cover story was that it was taking a shipment of 250 proton torpedoes from the Corporate Sector to Byss when it came under Rebel attack. Most of the bridge crew, including Captain Drax, were killed and the engineering officer Hortu Agar had been forced to assume command. Dropping out of hypespace, the closest system was Hoth's Brand system. An old HWK-290 light freighter was in the bay, replacing a lost shuttle. The High Hauler interior had dismantled cables, hull patches and blackened surfaces, either from the earlier battle, or pursposedfully done so by the Rebel agents, who also wore Imperial uniforms, blood-stained bandages and makeup in order to look wounded Imperials.
All twelve members of the strike team were male humans, reflecting the demographics of the Imperial Navy, except Ors who remained hidden. Obota was to impersonate Agar while Katarn posed as an Imperial Warrant Officer.
===Mission to Ruusan===
Upon her arrival to Hoth's Brand system, she was approached by an escort frigate and Imperial fighters and Jerec's flagship, the Vengeance, requested confirmation codes. "Agar" mentioned that as an engineer replacing a captain, did not know the codes, and mentioned their shipment of torpedoes, picking the Imperial officer's interest, confirming Ors's suggestion that crucial supplies would make the Imperials forget all about verifications and formalities.
Soon an assault shuttle docked to the bay; in the following fourty-five minutes a Lieutenant with Stormtroopers inspected the bridge, the engineering and the hull damage. Back to the bay, the Imperial inquired about the HWK-290 light freighter docked there, where Ors was hiding, spying on their communications. Satisfied with "Agar"'s explanations, the Lieutentant was ready to inspect the torpedoes before trans-shipping, but this boring task was skipped when the "warrant officer" alerted that a lighter was ready to dock for transshipment. Twelve load lifter droids loaded the sabotaged torpedoes to the lighter, a process that took three trips.
The High Hauler stayed in the system for repairs for the next dozen hours, while the Moldy Crow became part of the battle group; having clearance, it left for hyperspace, but not before passing through a Class I security zone and the upper stratosphere of Ruusan, where the Crow secretly launched from its bay.
==Appearances==
*Dark Forces: Jedi Knight
*Dark Forces: Jedi Knight audio drama
==Notes and references==
Category:Captured starships
Category:Starships of the Galactic Empire
Category:Transports