Kestrel

The Jedi were real? This article is part of the history of Clan Naga Sadow and isn't part of current events. Please do not remove this tag or the contents. These articles exist for historic purposes.

The Kestrel was a gunship commissioned in 22ABY that served to support the Warhost Fleet. It’s commander was Fencre Tall, a new officer in the command station. The ship was designed to be a multi-role vessel, and its initial purpose was to assist the fleet.

Crew

• Commanding Officer - Commander Fencre Tall
• Executive Officer - Lieutenant Commander Doral Juck

History

Several years after its construction, the Kestrel was docked with two other gunships of the same class, as well as heavy cruisers at a remote outer rim repair yard. Using the Intelligence of the S.H.A.D.O.W organization, led by Methyas L'eonheart, Naga Sadow planned a daring raid to capture the Kestrel and the other ships with it while they were docked.

Having recently lost the bulk of their fleet, the Sadowans saw this operation as an opportunity to quickly regain fleet power. Executed on the order of Consul Locke Sonjie, the raid was a stunning success. Two Battleteams of the time - Darkest Hour and Scepter of Ragnos - spearheaded the assault, while fighters from the recently acquired carrier Final Way provided cover against the repair yard's defenses. After capture, the Kestrel received its current name and new livery. Together with its sister ships, it helped to define a new doctrine of Sadow naval operations: to hit hard, to hit fast, and to avoid damage and destruction as much as possible.

During the Dark Crusades, it was commonly used to support other ships of the fleet, or to disrupt enemy supply lines. The gunships of Naga Sadow became hunter killers, diverting significant enemy resources to hunt them down. Fortunately, the leaders of the Sadowan Navy foresaw this, and began adding fighter squadrons to the gunships' patrols. It was during this time that the Sadowan military first used the name 'Warhost'. As the Crusades ended, these three gunships had earned their place in the Sadowan fleet. They continued to serve in the events of the Fading Lights operations.

After that, the Kestrel and Dominus lost their sister ship at the Battle of Tarthos. At this point, the focus of Sadowan command shifted. Having lost part of what made their fast strike strategy so successful, military planners reformed doctrine. The addition of the large star destroyers Harbinger and Damnation allowed the Warhost to engage in more direct combat. The Kestrel still served in its prior role, but was increasingly used as an escort corvette for the large, slower warships of the new Warhost Fleet.

It escorted the Harbinger to Korriban during the 11th Great Jedi War, and survived that battle with minimal damage.

After this, the ship's highly successful commander was recalled to Sepros Major to instruct future Warhost naval officers. Command was given to Frencre Tall instead, a new and promising officer.