The Nova shipyard’s Type J Yacht adheres closely to Nova’s tradition of producing durable, reliable craft with a characteristic ‘outrigger’ planform. In the manner typical for Nova-designed starships, the stock Type J is a solidly average craft that falls short of being best-in-class for any of the numerous role in which it is employed. The Type J, however, is a notably easy craft to customize (as is the case with the example on this page, for which the stock Nova engines have been replaced by the more powerful and responsive P78 Zephyr racing engines coupled with a pair of Zafir 22X auxiliary power units); making it a favorite among race pilots who prefer a more hands-on approach to maintaining and modifying their racing yachts.
The Type J yacht is a Jump-capable, two-deck, civilian starship with berthing space for four human-sized individuals. During races or other in-system flights, the Type J only requires a single pilot to operate, but for interstellar travel, two pilots are required.
The lower deck of the Type J yacht contains the ship’s airlock, 4 berthing spaces, the refresher, storage lockers, and various interior maintenance access points. The upper deck contains two side-by-side flight control stations and a galley-lounge area beneath a single metalo-crystaline dome with variable translucence.
In Ghosts of a Fallen Empire Tabar ke’Din flies two different Type J racing yachts named the Dragon of Kilila (illustrated above) and the Shadows of Boulus. In Makhtaran fiction, Kilila is dragon-riding personification of the secondary star in the Makhtaran home system and her dragon is considered a symbol of victory. Boulus is Makhtar’s lesser moon and it orbits closely enough to the planet that its passage across the sky is easily observed. Among Makhtarans, the phrase “chasing the shadows of Boulus” is often used to describe the pursuit of something that is impossible to catch or obtain.