Hell's Iris (corvette)

This article is about the Ship. You may be looking for other uses of Dark Paladin.

General Vessel Information

The Assassin-class corvette, better known as the modified corvette, was a small warship first produced some time before the Battle of Hoth and used primarily by the Imperial Navy. Designed as a more militarized successor to the famous CR90 corvette, the Assassin-class shared the familiar "hammerhead" styling, but it was more streamlined for greater hull strength. In addition to a stronger hull, the Assassin had more resilient shields and heavier firepower. Though it shared a similar 4-3-4 engine layout, it had eight large outer engines and three small inner engines as opposed to the CR90's eleven nearly identical engines.

History

Dark Paladin was one of countless light capital ships churned out by Corellian Engineering Corporation during the course of the Galactic Civil War. Originally in Imperial service the ship became part of the Emperor's Hammer with the Empire’s fragmentation following The Battle of Endor. It was later transferred to Brotherhood control and presented to Clan Satal Keto. Paladin served as the Proconsul’s command ship for many years, and was at the forefront of the eventual Exodus from the Emperor’s Hammer. With the later formation of Clan Plagueis it was re-christened Hell’s Iris, and placed in a light escort and patrol role as part of the defenses of Shintera.

The corvette was reassigned to Kapsina in the days preceding the post Second Darkness convocation. In the chaos of the Yuuzhan Vong incursion in both Antei and Jusadih it found itself called upon to assist in the evacuation of Aerun. When it became apparent that the planet’s situation had disintegrated completely, the Iris’ commander took a more radical course for saving his comrades. The ship proceeded to Nintura, depositing an escort shuttle bearing a Jedi strike team, before quitting the area. Over the next few days it was harassed by enemy patrols a number of times, managing to flee before it could be overwhelmed. It is probable that the Vong mistook another corvette destroyed at Shintera for the Hell’s Iris, and relaxed their search effort. Thus the ship survived to rendezvous with its escort shuttle, ferrying it back to Kapsina after the Vong withdrawal.

With the Clan’s resources stretched to the breaking point, the damaged Hell’s Iris had some of its weapons removed before being traded to the government relief agency SELCORE for a less advanced corvette, the Silent Scream.

[Liberated from the Emperor's Hammer during the Exodus]

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