The Mule
S.C.A.F. transport craft on Tau Volantis
The Mule was a Sovereign Colonies aerospace transport assigned to the Tau Volantis expedition. Dispatched to carry the Codex to Dr. Earl Serrano, it crashed on a cliff above Facility Two after its infected crew turned during a storm.
The Mule was an aerospace craft operated by the Sovereign Colonies Armed Forces flotilla during its expedition to Tau Volantis, most likely tasked with carrying cargo and personnel down to the planet's surface. In 2314 it crash-landed on a hillside above Facility Two after a storm and a Necromorph attack, while carrying the Codex meant for Dr. Earl Serrano.
Design#
The Mule was relatively complex despite its small size. It had a lower floor where an emergency hatch was located and a second floor where the cockpit was built, the two connected by a ladder. The cockpit could be sealed with a barred barricade that could only be opened by two people working at once, and it held a further emergency door. The craft also carried a ventilation system large enough for Necromorphs to move through.
In overall appearance the Mule resembled early space-era aircraft. It had wings with jet engines attached and conventional landing gear, where more advanced vessels relied on anti-gravity methods to land and take off. Its exterior was covered in thermal plating to shield it from the heat of atmospheric reentry. The name suited its role, since like the animal it shared it with, the ship existed to haul cargo.
History#
The Mule and Ensign Patrick Beckford were dispatched by Dr. Earl Serrano to transport the Codex to him in the Alien City. The craft escaped a Necromorph horde, but at least some of its crew were transformed into Fodders, which killed the pilots during a storm. With no one at the controls, the ship crashed onto the side of a cliff just above Facility Two.
Privates Tim Caufman and Sam Ackerman later arrived at the site to retrieve the Codex on the orders of the desperate doctor, and they were forced to fight off the ship's infected crew. As Caufman lifted the Codex, the Mule lost its balance and began to fall apart. The two men rappelled down the cliff to escape the wreck, with Caufman narrowly surviving when one of the ship's broken engine turbines slid down toward them and he was forced to destroy it. At the foot of the hill the Mule crashed down and buried Ackerman under its debris, killing him instantly. The wreck came to rest tilted downward at a steep angle.
Frequently asked questions
- What was the Mule?
- The Mule was an aerospace craft used by the Sovereign Colonies Armed Forces flotilla during its expedition to Tau Volantis. Its role was most likely to transport cargo and personnel down to the planet's surface.
- Why did the Mule crash?
- The Mule had been dispatched to deliver the Codex to Dr. Earl Serrano in the Alien City. During the flight its crew were transformed into Fodders, which killed the pilots during a storm. With no one flying it, the craft crashed onto the side of a cliff just above Facility Two.
- What happened at the crash site?
- Privates Tim Caufman and Sam Ackerman were sent to retrieve the Codex from the wreck and had to fight off the ship's infected crew. As Caufman took the Codex, the Mule lost its balance and began to fall apart. The two rappelled down the cliff to escape, and at the bottom the crashing ship buried Ackerman under its debris, killing him.
Sources
- WikiThe Mule — Dead Space Wiki entry
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Related entries
Earl Serrano
Doctor Earl Serrano was the Sovereign Colonies Science Division''s Civilian Head of Archeology who led the Tau Volantis expedition from 2311 to 2314. He uncovered the truth of the alien Machine and the Brethren Moons before dying on the frozen world, leaving behind logs found two centuries later.
Facility Two
Facility Two, also called the Research Compound, was the Sovereign Colonies Armed Forces science base built atop a mountain on Tau Volantis to reach the Alien Machine buried beneath it. It was abandoned during the Scenario Five purge in 2314 and lay frozen and forgotten until 2514.
Fodder
The Fodder, also called the Waster, was a Necromorph form that kept the full appearance of its human host to pass as a living person before it struck. It appeared during the outbreaks on the New Horizons Lunar Colony and on Tau Volantis.
Necromorph
Necromorphs were aggressive creatures formed when the Markers' electromagnetic signal reshaped dead tissue into monstrous new forms. Driven to kill the living and gather corpses for Convergence, they were the recurring plague that destroyed the Aegis VII colony, the USG Ishimura, and Titan Station.
Sovereign Colonies
The Sovereign Colonies was the global government that united Earth and its early off-world settlements, custodian of the Black Marker and architect of the secret Red Marker program. Its discovery of the Brethren Moons led it to purge all Marker knowledge under Scenario Five.
Tau Volantis
Tau Volantis was a frozen planet in the HR 8799 system where, two million years ago, an alien civilization flash-froze their own world to halt a Convergence Event. Mistaken for the Marker homeworld, it became the site of the final clash over the Brethren Moons.
Mentioned in2 entries
Facility Two
Facility Two, also called the Research Compound, was the Sovereign Colonies Armed Forces science base built atop a mountain on Tau Volantis to reach the Alien Machine buried beneath it. It was abandoned during the Scenario Five purge in 2314 and lay frozen and forgotten until 2514.
Tim Caufman
Private Tim Caufman was a Sovereign Colonies Armed Forces soldier stationed on Tau Volantis during the outbreak of 2314. An ammunition specialist who recovered the Codex from the wreck of the Mule, he was executed by General Spencer Mahad under the colony''s Scenario Five kill order.
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